IntegraCare mentorship program benefits employees, residents across 3 states

IntegraCare’s Motivational Advancement Program, available to employees at all 15 of the company’s properties in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia, aims to improve employees’ lives and, subsequently, residents’ lives.

“The architecture of this program is to help our team members be the best they can be within their existing roles while learning leadership and communication skills,” IntegraCare President and Chief Talent Officer Loriann Putzier said.

Launched last February, IntegraCare offers two MAP training cycles per year. Each training cycle includes one-on-one mentoring, peer support, textbook and online instruction and demonstrations.

“Ultimately, we want to help our team members advance their knowledge, skills, opportunities and compensation,” Putzier said.

“Also, in a world where employees are leaving employers left and right, we want to help our team members realize how much they mean to us, our residents and their families,” she added.

MAP is available to both full- and part-time employees. Hourly employees number approximately 815.

Employees are paid for their participation, and full-time workers can add an additional $7,280 to $10,400 to their pay for the year. Although everyone is eligible for MAP, participation is capped at 50 employees per cycle. The first cohort included 34 IntegraCare participants. Employees may apply or be nominated by a peer or supervisor.

“They [MAP participants] said to me, unsolicited, how much they like the program, they want to be a part of the program and they’ve learned a lot,” said MAP mentor Roberta “Bobbi” Bradford, a resident wellness director at Colonial Courtyard at Clearfield in Pennsylvania. 

She said she has mentored Clearfield’s MAP participants in areas ranging from admission, transfer and discharge of residents, documentation of physician visits, administering and monitoring medications, conversations with family members and responsible parties, and how to use technology.

“The big outcome is the residents will benefit from this higher level of care,” Bradford said.